Run the Race

This movie is about real life, hardships, heartaches, love, trust, faith and forgiveness.

Sports movies, they have many presentations and styles that make them so darn popular, but it's often the ones that have the deep motivational themes and heart that really get the attention. We Are Marshall, Pride of the Yankees, and of course Remember the Titans are just some of the films in the hall of film fame that are "timeless" pieces. Yet, unsung heroes often wait on the bench, hoping to have their shot at shining amidst the stars. Tim Tebow's production is hoping to be one of those rookies to make a statement this weekend and this reviewer is ready to share his opinion. Happy Friday folks and welcome to another review, this time on:

Movie: Run The Race (2019)

Director: Chris Dowling Writers: Jake McEntire (screenplay), Jason Baumgardner (screenplay) Stars: Mykelti Williamson, Frances Fisher, Kristoffer Polaha

LIKES:

Well Acted Pretty Cast Sports Fueled Moments Inspirational Deep Decently Paced

SUMMARY:

Run the Race's likes center on some surprising balance in this fairly realistic portrayal of faith and football. The cast of pretty thespians and cute physiques will be eye candy as they bring some decent acting to the mix of the family facing interesting circumstances. Their journey finds ways to bring the sports montage into the mix, crafting the story around the sports without becoming too invested into the mix. It's inspirational, finding some sequences that utilize the movie tricks and crafted speeches to get people going into action in helping face their problems. The film goes deep into trying to teach the religious based life lessons it holds, and can really get some emotion going, as was seen in my audience and showing. And surprisingly, it's got some decent pacing to it as well, finding a means to keep all these elements juggling smoothly, in hopes of getting to the end zone or finish line depending on the sport you like. Nonetheless, the movie's a nice sized package of inspirational messages delivered by poster worthy stars.

DISLIKES:

Plot Inconsistency Sports Avenues Are Not Made Up Rushed solutions Unrealistic Manipulations Preachy Predictable

SUMMARY:

Despite the inspirational components to the movie there are some things that take it away from the majesty of the theater. For me, the plot inconsistency is sort of the start as the race is ran a little too fast for some fo the plot lines to keep up with. Some avenues keep the pace going well, but others like the romance arc, the tension with the dad, and even the rivalry of some of the characters are not quite as present as the main story line, leading to them hastily cleaned up by the end of the movie. In addition, the sports montages are very simplistic, keeping the realistic component with them, but lacking those epic moments that make you want to scream out in delight. Again, while I appreciate the down to Earth approach, this film really could have used some magic to help pep up the exciting sports it bombarded us with, even resorting to unrealistic manipulations of the system that were eye rolling. Instead, the religious aspect is where this film leads, using very preachy dialogue that while strong, motivational, and certainly a spiritual component sets up much of the movie's "surprises". The predictable finish took away much of the emotion component for me and left me a little bored as I waited for the ending. Still, the avenue of preaching the good word is something to be forewarned, and if you don't want a case of faith, then you need to maybe hold off on this one.

The VERDICT:

Overall, Run The Race is actually a decent movie when it comes to religion influenced sports movies. A pretty cast will take on the task of instilling good messages that are deep and inspirational, while trying to develop the characters in the 105 minute run time. Yet, the movie still runs into trouble when it comes to the memorable sports intense films. It lacks the movie magic for one thing, and the preachiness may not be for everyone, especially if case of faith is not your cup of tea. As predictable as it was though, this Friday Night Lights themed movie could have been better with a little more balance in terms of handling the other story themes and may injecting some movie magic as well. Worth a trip to theater? I believe this one is best served for streaming to be honest, but that's just my opinion.

My scores are:

Drama/Sport: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0

6/10 - an entertaining family/sports drama that did feel a little preachy at times

First of all, I have no idea who is giving this film 1-star reviews. I assume it's being done by people who either don't like Tim Tebow or by people who can't stand Christian culture, because there is absolutely no way that any fair critic would give this movie anything close to a 1-star review.

That said, this is one of the better Christian films that I've seen. Several Christian films I've seen are what I tend to call "too cheesy" or the ending was "too happy". (I'm not a fan of everything always working out in the end -- I don't think that's realistic).

Anyway, my standards for Christian films tend to be pretty low, but at least this one had a somewhat realistic ending and I didn't find myself rolling my eyeballs during scenes, which I sometimes do.

As a male, I could relate to the emotions of two of the film's more disgruntled characters, which I appreciated. As a sports-themed film with several male characters, I thought this film would be more appealing to men -- but so far, females have rated it higher on IMDB than males have... so what do I know?

If I were a secular person watching this film, I might rate it a six or a seven out of ten. As a Christian, I'd probably give it an eight or a nine. (I gave it a nine because the 1-star reviews are obviously bogus and need to be compensated for).

For what it's worth, I thought Passion of the Christ was the best Christian film I've seen. (It didn't have much of a plot, but it was well done). The second best I've seen is "What If..." with Kevin Sorbo... and Run the Race probably takes the #3 spot. Not perfect, but pretty well done -- especially for a Christian film. Enjoy.

Really Liked it. Good movie.. Not the kind of movie i would like to re watch.. However i did enjoy it.